Turnbull: 227 books

In 1543 three Portuguese merchants entered a turbulent Japan, bringing with them the first firearms the Japanese had ever seen: simple matchlock muskets called arquebuses. They proved a decisive addition to the Japanese armoury, as for centuries the samurai had fought only with bow, sword and spear....

In 1614-15 Osaka Castle was Japan's greatest fortification, measuring approximately 2 miles in length with walls 100 feet high. It was guarded by 100,000 samurai, determined to defend the last of the once-powerful Toyotomi clan. The castle was seemingly impenetrable; however, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the...

The landscape of 16thand 17th-century Japan was dominated by the graceful and imposing castles constructed by the powerful 'daimyo' of the period. In this the most turbulent era in Japanese history, these militarily sophisticated structures provided strongholds for the consolidation and control of...

Each great samurai warlord, or daimyo, had a division of troops known as the Hatamoto, 'those who stand under the flag'. The Hatamoto included the personal bodyguards, the senior generals, the standard bearers and colour-guard, the couriers, and the other samurai under the warlord's personal command....

From the 10th century onwards the great Japanese monastic foundations of Nara and Mount Hiei maintained large armies of warlike monks. The tempestuous political rivalries that developed between the different orders of monks and religiously inspired laymen ensured that their temples and monasteries...

"In sixteen hundred and sixty-five there was hardly anyone left alive." Spring 1665, London Sam was just a young boy when his master took him out of the orphanage to be his servant. When he was old enough, he was going to become his master's apprentice, a shoemaker, able to...

This book looks at 12 works written by Robert Burns inspired by women in his life.  We look at the works themselves, give a modern translation of each one and look at when, where and possibly, why they were written. This gives you quick, easy to understand information about Burns, (and...

The latest Hennessey and Yellich Mystery - When a woman\u2019s body is found frozen on a bench one winter\u2019s morning, it looks like a simple case of death by misadventure. On closer inspection, however, marks on her neck – and a piece of paper hidden inside her shoe – point towards foul play....

Pneumatic trains, steampunk air-planes, karmic sex and bloody murder in 1908 India. When the heir to an industrial empire suffers a fatal accident, Maliha Anderson is called in to determine whether darker forces are at work. What she discovers goes deeper than any crime she's ever investigated....

Harriet and Khuwelsa Edgbaston aren't typical sisters. Harry is nosy and that winds them up in all kinds of trouble. But this time it's different. After their father's home in East Africa was destroyed, they're going to Italy to find Harry's mother who left when Harry was ten. The...

Missing babies in Johannesburg, and nobody cares. Maliha Anderson and her entourage travel to South Africa to return Riette's baby to the father's family on what should be a simple mission of mercy. But they are soon embroiled in race politics and something even darker: Children are disappearing...

Why are things never simple? Captain Qi Zang and her crew are on their way from Delhi to Kerala when their ice cargo ship is brought down in a storm. And then the local army mistake them for bandits. The only way out is to help the owner of the local plantation rescue her lover from a forced marriage. Assuming the army don't throw them in jail.

An airship off course. A creeping horror. And a crew losing their marbles. Having finally made it to Ceylon, Captain Qi and the motley crew of the Frozen Beauty picks up a simple job: carrying Dr Morbury, a botanist, and his cargo up the coast to Bombay. Nothing could be simpler. But...

This heartwarming story is a salute to military families across the country, and a cheer for our nation's heroes.A Sergeant in the House, tells the story of Lenny who desperately wants a puppy. His father is in the military, the family must move frequently, and Lenny is still very young to care for an...